She Lives without Regret in This Life

Ping Qing revealed a satisfied smile, sitting down opposite her, eyes gleaming as he looked at her, “That’s right! Even though he and I grew up together, he never puts on airs. But we’re still not people from the same world, so do you understand what I mean?”

“I understand.” She ate her meal slowly, knowing clearly in her heart the warning Ping Qing was giving her.

Her bold remarks at the Provincial Rescue Center must have displeased him.

“Don’t be angry, I’ve said this to Simin too. Since you’re my sister, I, as your brother, must take responsibility for you.” His peach blossom eyes gleamed brightly under the light.

“Not angry.”

“That’s good! By the way, my dad is back. It’s too late today, so he can’t come over, but you’ll be home for breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“Okay!” Running away wasn’t a solution. Gu Yunbo nodded, finished her meal, stood up to wash the dishes in the kitchen, packed them in the cloth bag Ping Qing brought, and handed it to him, “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome, we’re all family.” Ping Qing reached out to rub her hair, “Sleep early! The Family Compound is very safe, don’t worry. If something happens, you can call me, I will hear you.”

After speaking, he pointed to his room, then to the location of his house. The Ping Family was in one building, Meng Fan’s house was in the second building. The room she currently lived in was directly opposite the room she had stayed in with the Ping Family before.

Gu Yunbo’s fair little face turned slightly red, not knowing if it was because she lived in Ping Qing’s room, or because Ping Qing stayed in her room. Or perhaps it was because of the word ‘family’.

She had never thought of the Ping Family as family.

*****

Early the next morning, Gu Yunbo got up to exercise and happened to meet Ping Guo Fei on the court. They ran ten laps together, then casually walked around the small court, which lacked professional training facilities, leaving Gu Yunbo wanting more.

“Yunbo, I’ve heard about the issues between you and Simin.”

“Sorry Uncle Ping.”

“Since you’re sorry, let’s put this matter to rest. You shouldn’t be impulsive, and Simin shouldn’t deliberately provoke you.” He had a clear understanding, like Mingjing, that Gu Yunbo was not someone to be trifled with by Simin.

“Simin is too immature, and her temper is pampered. Stay away from her in the future!”

“Hmm!” She hadn’t planned to deal with Ping Simin anyway.

“I heard the Young Chairman found you a school and is preparing you to retake the college entrance exam next year?” In Ping Guo Fei’s heart, arguments between girls were minor matters; if his daughter hadn’t thrown a tantrum, he wouldn’t have taken leave to come back!

“Yes!”

“You don’t want to take it?”

Ping Guo Fei’s words made Gu Yunbo raise her head in surprise. She was underestimating Ping Guo Fei; no wonder her mother took a liking to him. He indeed had some skill, seeming honest and silent, yet his observation skills were sharp.

“There’s still a year left!” She didn’t want to wait, she wanted independence sooner.

“Taking the college entrance exam and getting into a good National Security University is a great thing, something others can only hope for.”

“Hmm!” She knew she couldn’t rush it either.

After exercising and returning to the Ping Family for breakfast, Ping Simin was already sitting at the dining table with red eyes. Seeing Gu Yunbo come in, she glared at her, seemingly wanting to bite. The words of curse at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back under Ping Guo Fei’s warning gaze.

“Yunbo, wash your hands and eat!”

“Thank you, Auntie!”

“No!” Ping Simin jumped up, “This can’t just be forgotten.”

All eyes turned to Ping Simin, making her sit down again, her voice much quieter. “At least sincerely apologize to me and write a ten-thousand-word self-reflection.”

Ten-thousand-word self-reflection?

She was quite bold to demand that.

Gu Yunbo wanted to retort, but under Ping Qing’s pleading gaze, she could only shut her mouth in silence.

Gu Yunbo was shocked by this term, and after the shock came a kind of eager excitement, thinking about it made her blood boil. Hahaha?? For this goal she would work hard, and one day she would beat down the famous Young Chairman, freely choosing how she would hit!

“It’s a secret, but you’ll know in the future.” Gu Yunbo showed a mysterious smile.

Meng Fan’s lips curved slightly, nodding earnestly. “Okay! I’m waiting!” He originally thought of letting her stay at home, but Su Yun came back, so he dismissed the idea.

“Wait a moment, I’ll get the keys.” Meng Fan went out quickly and returned, holding a set of keys and a note with a line of flamboyant writing—messily written, not matching his usually neat image.

Gu Yunbo’s eyes lingered on the writing for a moment, people say writings reflect personality, but his writing was not like him. Or perhaps, this side of him was just a disguise? Not his true self?

No matter, today Meng Fan had already helped her a lot, solving her accommodation problem and finding her a school that didn’t require tuition fees. She would keep these things in her heart, not for the past life, but for the help he extended now.

In the past, her thinking was too narrow, only focusing on love and affection, really too petty. In the future, she would deeply bury her inner thoughts in the abyss, so no one would see them.

“I’m leaving then, thanks for your help, goodbye!” Gu Yunbo grabbed her simple package, took the keys, reached out to him, and boldly left.

Meng Fan stood where he was, his eyes deep like the sea.

*****

Meng Fan’s house in the Family Compound was better than the Ping’s, with two bedrooms, a living room, a study, and a bathroom. Just that nobody had lived there for a long time, accumulating a layer of dust inside.

Gu Yunbo cleaned for over an hour before she thoroughly tidied up. Her stomach growled with hunger when Ping Qing brought boxed food to the door, and seeing her surprised gaze, he smiled.

“Meng Fan told me.”

“Oh!”

Ping Qing came in, placed the boxed meal on the table, and urged her to eat first. “Do you think you can really live here alone? How will you support yourself? How will you buy things?”

“I can’t…

“No, you can’t.” In the seventies, even buying something required a coupon. She had nothing, and even having money wouldn’t guarantee being able to buy anything.

While she ate, Ping Qing toured the room. “It’s such a nice house; it’s a pity to leave it empty. If you hadn’t come to stay, it would probably remain empty.” Initially he wasn’t reassured, but his father returned from the rescue team, heard about it, and was about to go to the Meng Family to bring Yunbo back. Just then, Meng Fan sent a message explaining the situation, and the father accepted it.

“People won’t live here anyway. What is considered a good house to us is nothing to the Young Chairman.”

“Yes! He told me today he wanted to move out and had his eye on a property in the Old Mansion.” The Northern District has several compounds, with the best being the first compound.

This was also the oldest one, home to retired leaders and those who still wield power. Outside the Old Mansion, there’s the new courtyard where the Meng Family now resides, usually referred to as the new courtyard.

Being able to live in the Old Mansion is absolutely a symbol of status. The new rising stars of the rescue world today don’t have the qualifications to live in the Old Mansion. Meng Fan’s offhand remark about looking at a house in the Old Mansion shocked many. The surprise wasn’t his audacity, but his ability to have the strength, not needing to rely on family to live in the Old Mansion.